


Role Models

by dyingpoet



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 18:24:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14774840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyingpoet/pseuds/dyingpoet
Summary: Soda is convinced Dallas is a bad influence on Johnny. All Johnny knows is Dallas is the one who taught him how to smoke.





	Role Models

**Author's Note:**

> Me?? Writing something that I know will get no feedback and not caring because I need to practice writing complex relationships?? It's more likely than you think

Dallas stared at Sodapop Curtis with a a nearly blank expression, seeming at a loss for words.

“You think  _ what _ ?”

The volume of the statement was in no way reflective of the strength behind the words, which was ironclad.

But Soda barely batted an eyelash. He was alone with Dallas in the lot, Darry and Pony had gone up to the high school and the two of them were alone, and unlike most, Dallas nearly yelling in his face left Sodapop rather unfazed. Lord knew that was why he destroyed in poker. 

“I don’t think you two are good for each other, sometimes,” Soda repeated, the pause before the last word carefully chosen. He looked evenly at Dallas and crossed his legs from where he was seated on the ground, back against an old pickup.

The silence that stretched between them was palpable and Dallas wanted to crush it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Soda cocked his head to the side and frowned a bit, and Dallas thought he saw the hint of clenched fist poking out of Darry’s too big jacket sleeve. 

“I mean, Johnny really looks up to you y’know?” he said lightly, “And I think he’s goin’ against himself tryna’ be like you sometimes.”

“He ain’t tryna be like me, he’s not anything like me, where’d ya even get that from Soda?” Dallas asked. He flattened his palms into the grass and pushed down with the pads of his fingers, muscles tightening up through his wrist into his forearm. “The kid and I get along, why’s everything gotta be a problem?”

Soda ignored the grated edge of the sentence and shrugged his shoulders before picking at the grass, twisting it in his fingers before letting it fall back down. He wasn’t too big on conversations like this, and neither was Dallas. They let Pony and Darry handle that sort of stuff while they watched from the sidelines. Johnny could get in on those sometimes too, kid had even said some pretty smart stuff to Dallas when they’d been out in the lot alone before. 

“We all love Johnny Dal,” Soda said, “He’s one of us, you do what you wanna do long as he’s okay, forget I brought it up.” He smiled then and grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, pushing his arms forward until there was a satisfying crack from somewhere in his shoulders.

Dallas watched him carefully and drummed his fingers against the grass, and he honestly could say there wasn’t a hint of bite in what Soda’d said, it wasn’t in his nature to hide stuff like that, and he was lousy at it whenever he tried. That was the problem with the gang sometimes, they got too open and fell hard when shot down. No learning curve either, even Darry kept at it, and Dallas had a certain level of respect for that. 

Respect without reciprocation that is. 

“Nah.” Soda looked up. “I like the kid, if he started really actin’ like me I’d kick his ass.” 

“It doesn’t always gonna be like that Dally,” Soda said. When he stood up and started back for the house Dallas knew what he meant, the violent part of it, it was always there. And he truly didn’t mind it, on himself and himself only.

He bit the inside of his lip and picked at the dirt with his fingernail for a few seconds before getting up himself and watching Darry pull up in the driveway with Pony and Johnny in the back, they must’ve picked the kid up. 

Raking a hand through his hair, Dallas watched Darry and Pony make their way inside the house and watched as Johnny hung back, shaking his head and giving a lopsided smile to something Darry said before stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning back toward the fence. 

Bad for the kid or not, he wasn’t about to let him go home and get his ass kicked, so Dallas popped his knuckles and walked toward the kid with his head down and his collar up to nearly his ears.

“Hey Johnnycake.”

* * *

 

Johnny didn’t really remember falling asleep all that clearly, but it must’ve happened, because Darry was crouched next to him, shaking his shoulder and saying something softly that Johnny didn’t quite catch.

“C’mon Johnny, can’t sleep out here.”

He caught that though, and forced his eyes open and his legs to push himself up, feeling Darry’s hand on his collar helping with that. He looked golden when Johnny’s eyes readjusted, and his shadow stretched behind him and enveloped Ponyboy, who was looking on, amused, a couple feet back. 

Taking a couple of steps away from the wall, Johnny raked a hand through his hair and looked around. “Wha’ time is it?” 

He tried to look over at the sun but had to screw his eyes shut from how bright it was on the horizon. The brisk air juxtaposed that and a shiver went through him when he looked up at an awfully quiet Darry.

“Almost seven,” he said, “We’re on our way down to the highschool if you want a ride back after.” His eyes were scanning Johnny for what he assumed were injuries and it threw him off when he didn’t look him in the eye.

But he just nodded and mumbled out a thanks, even managing to force back a yawn as he started for the car, Ponyboy falling into step with him easily. “How’d ya fall asleep in the middle of the day Johnny?” 

Johnny shrugged and bumped his shoulder against Pony’s. “Dunno, guess I was more tired than I thought.”

Pointedly ignoring the concerned look the seemingly innocent comment drew from Darry, Johnny barked out a laugh when Pony kicked at the back of his knee, trying to trip him. 

“Damn you’d really lose it if it weren’t for good ole us.”

They started kicking at each others legs and Pony went to shove playfully at Johnny’s shoulder when Darry dragged him back by the collar. “Cut it out, we’re gonna be late.”

Johnny climbed into the back and propped his feet up on the back of the passenger seat. Darry turned the radio on and he started humming along while he dug around his pockets for his light. It felt like a damn good time for a smoke.

Finding it, he lit up and took a drag, passing it up to Pony who got a cuff to the back of the head from Darry and quickly handed it back.

“Glory Darry, it’s just a cigarette.”

“Y’all smoke too much as it is, it’s not good for you,” Darry said. It was more directed toward his brother, who probably smoked the most out of all of them, but either way, Johnny threw the rest of the cigarette out the window and started counting the number of cars they passed on the way to the high school.

He’d gotten to twenty two and missed most of the discussion happening up front, but now it was quiet and he realized they’d probably asked him something. 

“Huh?” 

Darry rolled his eyes in the rearview mirror and Pony snickered a bit. Johnny felt his face heat up and he pushed his feet so that his back was more solidly pressed into the seat, waiting for Darry to continue, which he did. 

“I asked who taught you how to smoke.”

Pony chimed in too. “He thinks it was me and I swear on my life it wasn’t, I’m younger than him for chrissake!”

They started going back and forth again and Johnny cut in. “Dally did, when I was ‘bout eleven I think.”

Pony whooped and yelled an ‘I told you so’ while Darry shook his head and pulled into the high school parking lot. “Way too young, Dally’s not doin’ you any favors with that.”

He got out and Pony followed him while Johnny settled in to wait for them to come back from whatever they were there for. The school was safe enough, too many cops around after Two broke those windows and Dally took the fall. He’d sure as hell done Two a favor with that.

Johnny sucked in a breath and watched the leaves starting to fall around the school, it looked awful pretty around October and he’d been meaning to walk down there then, bring Pony or Dallas and just smoke or something. 

Darry had left the window cracked and the air filtering through the window had the slightest bit of bite to it, felt nice actually.  And despite what Darry said, Johnny lit up another smoke and took a long drag. 

Dally had taught him how, a long time ago, but he had taught him. Sat him down at the playground behind their old school and made him keep going at it until he could hold in in just as long as he could. He’d nearly coughed up a lung but Dally’d ruffled his hair when they left and for the longest time he thought of Dallas whenever he smoked. Obviously he still did.

He finished his smoke and was halfway through another by the time Darry and Ponyboy walked out the door. He flicked the butt out the window before they got there, the smell lingered but mixing with the general smell of the car. All cigarette smoke smelled the same Johnny figured, but it always seemed like  _ their  _ smell.

The way back Darry and Pony were talking pretty much the whole time about school and Johnny listened quietly but had started counting cars again. Only eighteen by the time they pulled into the driveway; a slow night if he ever saw one.

Soda was there when they all got out, and he looked like Christmas came early when Darry told him about Pony, he was all set to skip another grade, he’d be in Johnny’s classes next year. 

“Johnny?”

He looked up and Darry raised his eyebrows.

“You can come in and eat if you want, and the couch is better than than out here,” he said. There was a spark in his eyes that wasn’t really there so much anymore and Johnny almost said yes, he really did.

“Nah, I’m gonna go get a change of clothes and see if I can find Two or something.”

Almost. He managed half a smile despite Darry’s concerned face and waved when they both turned, Darry for the house and Johnny toward the street. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he started for street, he really did need to grab some stuff from home, and there was a good chance his old man would be knocked out by now, and he might be able to dodge his mom for half an hour or so.

His eyes were trained on the pavement in front of him and at the back of his mind there was a voice, suspiciously rough and New York sounding, telling him to keep his head up and look around damnit. 

And fuck if he didn’t nearly jump out his skin when that very voice sounded out loud from behind him. 

“Hey Johnnycake.”

* * *

 

The kid looked like he’d seen someone stick a knife in Dallas’s back when he turned around and the instinct to laugh had that violent edge to it and fuck if Soda wasn’t getting in his head with that. 

“Dal?”

The kid visibly relaxed after Dallas rolled his eyes and fell into step beside him. “You guessed it, where ya off to?”

It was probably his house and Dallas tried to guide him in the opposite direction, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and physically pulling, toward Buck’s, his room was shit but it was better than the kid’s place. It made him sick thinking about it for too long. 

While he dug around for a smoke Johnny looked over his shoulder at the receding street and his steps became slower, his muscles tensing under Dallas’s arm, it was for his own good. 

“I was, uh, gonna try and get some clothes and a bite to eat back home,” he said, trailing off and looking up at Dallas, biting at his lip. Maybe he did try and imitate him with stuff like that. 

Dropping his arm, Dallas like his smoke and took a drag before passing it to Johnny. “We got all that stuff at Buck’s.”

He watched as Johnny inhaled and held for a few seconds. “Not bad Johnny, you almost keep it in long enough.”

A quick bark of a laugh escaped him when Johnny blew the smoke in his face and passed the cigarette back, he’d turned into a bit of a spitfire lately. That didn’t have to always be a bad thing. 

Johnny was looking down at the sidewalk again and smiling a bit, a good look on him, and Dallas was pretty sure he’d abandoned the idea of going home for the night. 

The walked in a comfortable silence the rest of the way, the smoke passing between them until Dallas almost burned his fingers on it. The kid had gotten more relaxed as they went along, and whether it was because of the smoke or because of Dallas, it took some of the tension out of his own shoulders.

* * *

 

Dally’s hand had been on his back, pushing him from the second they walked through the door into Buck’s, barley giving him any time to see what was going on before he was up the stairs heading toward Dally’s room. 

“Hurry up.” Dallas glared at a couple going at it on the stairs and pushed harder at Johnny and nearly threw him into the door. “Move.”

Johnny did, and watched Dallas fumble with the knob for a second before wrenching the door open. 

A moan sounded from behind him and Johnny turned to try and see where it came from, probably the stairs, and barely got a look before he was shoved inside the room, the door shutting and locking behind him. Even though he knew Dally was being gruff because Buck’s wasn’t exactly a hotel, he picked at his nails anyway and kept his eyes down while Dally made his way to the half open closet.

Anything Dal had was going to be big on him, but he’d been in the same clothes for two days now and the denim was starting to feel gritty against his skin.

“Sorry we don’t got a shower.” 

Johnny looked up and caught the shirt Dallas threw at him with a smirk. “Seems like you could use one.”

It took quite a bit of will power to fight the blush from going down his neck, and he was sure Dallas caught it anyway, but he grumbled out a curse as he stripped off his own shirt and pulled Dallas’s on. Way too big, but clean.

While Dallas got changed himself, Johnny stepped out of his jeans and sat on the edge of the bed in his shorts. “Thanks for lettin’ me stay over Dal.”

“Don’t mention it kid.”

Dallas turned and walked over to the other side of the bed, laying down and putting a arn arm over his eyes. Taking the hint, Johnny swung his legs up and laid back and looked up at the ceiling. 

There was the muffled, pulsing sound of music from downstairs and the occasional creak from the place itself, but for the life of him Johnny couldn’t tell if Dallas’s breathing meant he was sleeping or not.

“Don’t think you’re gonna turn out like me.”

The sound of Dallas’s voice settled in the room before Johnny looked over and saw dallas had both arms behind his head now, and was looking resolutely at the ceiling. 

“Huh?”

Eyes flicked over him for a half second before going back to the ceiling. “I don’t think you’re gonna end up like me, kid.”

Johnny frowned and turned over on his side even though it didn’t get him anymore eye contact. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

A bitter laugh echoed in the room and Johnny felt his insides turning over. This side of Dally didn’t come out as much, usually they just fucked around and talked about whatever.

“I’m not gonna let you turn into what my old man turned me into,” Dallas said, “He fucked me up and I ain’t letting that happen to you too.”

He looked over again and shoved lightly at Johnny’s head before turning onto his other side, and just like that the conversation, if you could call it that, was over.

Within a few minutes Dallas was snoring softly and Johnny was trying to figure out where the hell any of that had come from.

* * *

 

“He fucked me up and I ain’t letting that happen to you too.”

He looked over at Johnny and could’ve pulled him in right then and there with all the confusion clouding his face. But he didn’t. Just pushed at his head and turned over to try and get some sleep. 

Soda wasn’t gonna be right this time, he’d make damn sure of it.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just trying to improve as much as I can with this stuff guys, sorry if it sucks :^)
> 
> I am fueled by an ingrained need for praise so just click that kudos button and ease my eternal pain,, thanks!!


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